Rutgers University
Northwestern
Starting XI: Women's Soccer vs. Northwestern
Oct 21 | Women's Soccer
The 11 things to know before the Scarlet Knights host the Wildcats on Sun., Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. in the regular season finale.
I
THE DETAILS
Sun., Oct. 221 p.m. at Yurcak Field (Piscataway, N.J.)
Rutgers (8-6-3, 4-4-1)
vs. Northwestern (9-4-4, 3-4-1)
Senior Day (12:38 p.m.)
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II
PREVIOUSLY ON...
Rutgers topped Ohio State (8-6-2, 4-4-1), 1-0, on a rain-drenched Thursday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The integral three points cements the Scarlet Knights firmly in the Big Ten playoff picture with one match day remaining. The win marks Rutgers' highest RPI victory of the season with the Buckeyes ranked No. 30.Becci Fluchel netted the lone goal in the 49th minute, blasting a shot off an Allison Lynch cross that was given space by a brilliant long ball by Sara Brocious into the corner. Redshirt freshman keeper Olivia Bodmer notched her eighth solo shutout of the season with four saves.
III
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern is 9-4-4 overall and are fighting for their postseason lives with 11 points (3-4-2) on the Big Ten table, currently outside the top-eight cutoff for the conference tournament. The 'Cats are unbeaten over their last three with wins over Iowa (2-1) and Minnesota (3-0), and a hard-earned 2-2 draw against No. 4 Penn State.
The high-scoring Wildcats are led by 22 points apiece from Meg Boade (4g, 14a) and Ella Hase (10g, 2a). Boade ranks second in the country and leads the conference with her14 assists, while Hase is 26th nationally and third in the B1G with 10 goals. Reiley Fitzpatrick has a 1.08 goals-against average in net with five shutouts and a .723 save percentage.
Rutgers holds a 4-3-2 advantage in the series, including a 3-1 record in Piscataway and a 3-2-2 record as Big Ten regular season opponents. Last season, the sides worked to a 1-1 draw in Evanston before the Wildcats claimed a 2-1 victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, also in Illinois. Rutgers' last win in the series came in 2019 - a 2-0 triumph in New Jersey.
IV
SENIOR SALUTE
Rutgers celebrates Senior Day on Sunday, honoring the careers of 10 Scarlet Knights. Graduate students Allison Lynch, Jessica Schildkraut, Gia Vicari, and Grace Walter, and seniors Sam Kroeger, Becci Fluchel, Giana Romano, Sara Brocious, Allison Lowrey, and Emma Misal will be celebrated before Sunday's match at approximately 12:38 p.m. at Yurcak Field.Much of this group of Scarlet Knights made Rutgers history, including the school's first Big Ten Championships in 2021, a run to the NCAA College Cup, and the best start to a season in program history in 2022. Their dedication to the program will leave a lasting legacy, and they are Forever Rutgers, Forever Family.
V
THE SCARLET WALL
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer ranks 19th in the nation with eight solo shutouts, and the Scarlet Knights defense anchored by Allison Lynch, Kassidy Banks, Emily Mason, Naila Schoefberger, Emma Misal, and Becci Fluchel have combined for nine total shutouts. The defense has held opposing offenses to four shots on goal or less in nine matches this fall, including the last four matches (shutout wins over Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio State). Bodmer was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 12 after posting consecutive 1-0 shutouts against Providence and UMass to close non-conference play.VI
THE SLATE
Rutgers faced a top-five ranked team (Penn State) for the first time since dropping a hard-fought 1-0 final score against eventual national champions and No. 1 ranked Florida State in the NCAA College Cup national semifinals in 2021. It was the second match in a row the Scarlet Knights faced an unbeaten team midway through the regular season after playing at 6-0-2 Indiana last Sunday. The Scarlet Knights topped previously unbeaten Providence, who was 5-0 and did not surrender a single goal, by a 1-0 score on Sept. 7. RU also worked to a scoreless draw at now-ranked No. 13 Princeton, who was 2-0 back on Aug. 31.The Scarlet Knights also took on CAA champions, Hofstra, on Aug. 20, NEC champions, FDU, on Aug. 28, and three-time defending Big East champions, Georgetown, on Sept. 4. RU visited NCAA Tournament participants NC State on the road Aug. 24.
The Scarlet Knights have played eight teams currently ranked in the Top 50 of the NCAA RPI as of Oct. 15, including four in the Top 25.
VII
TIERNAN UP THE DEFENSE
Junior forward Riley Tiernan has three goals and four assists on the 2023 season, but the stat line still doesn't tell the full story of the superstar from Voorhees, New Jersey. The highlight reel also shows elite ball skills in the attacking third, and the premonitions of said skills drawing double and triple teams from opposing backs - opening up opportunities and chances for her teammates."I don't really care much about my personal stats," Tiernan said. "It's more about getting the results for the team. So I want to put myself into dangerous spots, whether I'm getting the ball or not, making plays, being creative, and to put pressure on the other team to allow us to be more successful in the attack."
The 2021 Big Ten Rookie of the Year has been named on the United Soccer Coaches National Players to Watch list for forwards for the second consecutive season. Tiernan was one of three Big Ten players on the national watch list, joining Rebecca Cooke from Penn State and Sarah Weber from Nebraska. Tiernan earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second Team and All-Big Ten Third Team accolades during her sophomore season in 2022. The striker has 22 career assists, already good for sixth place in the RU record book.
"We always say that our next game is the most important game of the year," Tiernan said. "We need to continue to be vocal with each other and continue to stay focused. We have a lot of core values we go over during meetings, and I think we changed our dynamic at practice because of that. Everyone works 10 times harder. We're there to learn and get better. And I think everyone's locked in and knows how it feels to lose and knows how it feels to win. And we all obviously like winning much more."
Tiernan was at the middle of the 2021 College Cup run and the best start to any season at 9-0-0 in 2022. She helped set the standards, and now is assuming a leadership role in resetting the group when those standards have not lived up to their own expectations to start 2023.
"My sister [assistant coach Madison Richard] always says you don't have to respect us, but you will fear us," Tiernan said. "We use that as motivation. I think that a lot of teams overlook Rutgers and kind of laugh in the face of Rutgers sometimes. And I think that we should just take that and use that as ammunition to come out and work harder than every other team. And no matter how talented another team is compared to us, we're just going to be hungrier and we're going to have more of that bite than they do. And that's going to get us the results that we want in the end."
That first goal of the season feeling‼️@RUWSoccer wins 2-0 on opening night. pic.twitter.com/6MJ58O6VhE
— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) August 18, 2023
VIII
THE ARMBANDS
Rutgers women's soccer head coach Mike O'Neill has named Becci Fluchel, Allison Lynch, and Emma Misal as captains of the 2023 Scarlet Knights squad.The trio has been at the center of Rutgers' sustained success over the past four years, which included consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, the undefeated 2021 Big Ten Championship, and the run to the 2021 NCAA College Cup. Fluchel and Misal enter their senior seasons, while Lynch returns for her fifth year "On the Banks." This high-performing group has been part of a backline that allowed just 12 goals in 18 regular-season games in 2022, including only three during the historic 9-0 start to the year.
Lynch returns for her second captainship in her fifth year with nearly 7,000 minutes of action on defense for the Scarlet Knights. She led the team with 88.2 minutes per game in 2022. Not shy to move forward, Lynch scored an important goal in a 2-2 draw with Minnesota last fall and carries nine career points on three goals and three assists into her final season. The Bridgewater, New Jersey native played all 90 minutes in 17 of her 20 games last season, including the final 15 of the campaign.
Misal earns her first captain's armband after being named Third Team All-Big Ten as a back in 2022. The defender from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania has contributed to one of the nation's top defenses over the past three years, chipping in on five Rutgers shutouts last fall. Misal worked back from a training camp injury to earn a starting job during the season's final 12 matches, which included 85-plus minute efforts in the last four games.
IX
CHASING HISTORY
Riley Tiernan (6) and Sara Brocious (7) led in assists last season and are marching up the record book in career helpers at RU. Tiernan is tied for fourth all-time with 23. Brocious has 18 career assists, ranked 10th after breaking a tie with all-time great Carli Lloyd and fellow professional Taylor Aylmer. The all-time assist record at Rutgers is 29 set by Gina DeMaio from 2006-10.
X
NEW KIDS "ON THE BANKS"
Rutgers women's soccer head coach Mike O'Neill welcomes 11 freshmen to the program for the 2023 season, including nine hailing from New Jersey. The class includes Brianna Azevedo, Ashley Baran, Ava Brass, Audrey Cain, Elliot Forney, Gabriela Gil, Alyssa Martinez, Reilly McGlinn, Shannon Reiser, Olivia Russomanno, and Tehya Scheuten.
This standout group includes a New Jersey Player of the Year, All-Americans, multiple national and state champions at the high school and club levels, and numerous All-State honorees.
Baran scored her first collegiate goal against FDU on Aug. 28, while Russomanno picked up her first point with an assist in that 7-0 victory. The rookie teammates have played in all 17 matches to start their Rutgers careers. Baran has started in four consecutive matches and Russomanno earned her first start in Rutgers' match against Michigan, now starting in three straight. The pair of first-years are two of eight Scarlet Knights to play in 100 percent of this season's matches.
XI
MASON MARKS
Junior back Emily Mason has been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for National Player of the Year and a 2023 Player to Watch by United Soccer Coaches. The Flemington, New Jersey native has also been listed on Top Drawer Soccer's Big Ten Conference preview as one of five Players to Watch, along with an honor on Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best XI Third Team.A Third-Team All-American, All-Big Ten First Team, and All-North Region First Team selection as a sophomore in 2022, Mason turned in 14 matches with the full 90 minutes played, contributing to eight shutouts on the Scarlet Knight defense. The versatile, 5-foot-10 defender has also chipped in on the attack, scoring her first collegiate goal in a 7-0 win against Temple on Sept. 1 and then scoring her first collegiate brace in a 3-0 win at Purdue on Oct. 2. She also added an important assist in the 1-1 draw at then-No. 8 Northwestern on Sept. 29. Mason missed the first two contests of the season while serving with the United States Youth National Team at the U20 World Cup in Costa Rica. She previously won gold with the USYNT at the Concacaf Women's Championship and the Sud Ladies Cup in 2021.
Stay up to date on the latest news and schedule updates by following Rutgers women's soccer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Download the Scarlet Knights App for Apple or Android today.
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